FIRST COKE SCHOOL AND OTHER EARLY SCHOOLS OF 1880s - Coke County, TX
Contributed by Jo Collier
7 September 2003
Copyright. All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/tx/txfiles.htm
*********************************************************************
FIRST COKE SCHOOL AND OTHER EARLY SCHOOLS OF 1880s
Copied from the Bronte Enterprise issued Sept. 3, 1964.
First school in Coke County was located at Rock Springs near old Fort
Chadbourne and was in existence only three years, 1881-1883, well
before the organization of the county.
According to an early report of the school the walls were made of
pickets and the cracks "chinked and daubed with mud." The roof was
made of poles and the "cracks filled with bear grass; then mortar was
made of clay and spread over the bear grass. The roof was finished
by covering with dry earth."
The seats were made of split logs and the legs were short posts. There
were no backs on the seats. This school was attended and told of by
Wiley Bird, Lee Richards and others.
SCHOOL AT HAYRICK BEFORE COUNTY
Another of the first schools was taught in 1885-86 by a Mr. Hall and
was a one room structure on Mountain Creek, one mile west of Hayrick.
It was a four-month "subscription school." Tuition was $1.50 per month
per child. After that term, the school was moved two miles east to
Sand Springs and 11 or 12 pupils were taught by Miss Idalia Nance.
Miss Betty Eidson taught there in 1887-88.
When the county was organized a Mr. Carrigan and J. J. Bishop were
teaching there and the school was moved to Hayrick to a new two-room
structure. Mis Vida Youngblood was a substitute teacher. When the
county seat was moved the people moved and the daily attendance dropped
from 75 to less than a dozen.
Permission granted by the Observer/Enterprise for
Publication in the Coke County TXGenWeb Archives.